Test 2 Flashcards
(135 cards)
Sensory transduction
The translation of sensory input into electrical signals the brain can understand
Labeled lines
Each nerve input to the brain reports only a particular type of information
Ex) vibration, pressure, temp etc
Receptive fields
A region where a stimulus will change the neuron’s firing rate
Size of receptive field
Large receptive field= less sensitivity
Small receptive field = more sensitivity
Rate coding
Firing of AP recorded as #AP/sec
Codes intensity
Range fractionation
Divides multiple receptors of a certain sensory neuron based on intensity
Has min and max firing rate
Phasic receptors
Decrease frequency of AP after intital stimulation
Adaptation
Loss of receptor sensitivity as stimulation is maintained
Tonic receptors
Show no decline or slow decline in AP frequency (I.e. Pain, proprioceptor)
Center Modulation of Sensory Information
The process in which higher brain centers, such as cortex and thalamus, suppress some sources of sensory information and amplify others
-“top-down” influences
Polymodal neurons
A neuron where information from more than one sensory system converges
Synesthesia
A condition in which stimulation in one sensory pathway evokes an involuntary experience in a second sensory pathway
Graphemes color synesthesia
See colors associated with numbers
*convergence of different sensory systems allows the systems to interact
Humunculus
The size of each body part reflects the proportion of S1 devoted to that part
Motor system
Biggest areas: hands, lips and tongue
Sensory system
Biggest areas: hand, thumb, lips
Nociceptors
A receptor that responds to stimuli that produce tissue damage or pose the threat of damage
Pain receptor
Delta fibers
Large diameter, myelinated and thus fast conducting axon
- transmits pain info
- phasic receptors
C fibers
A small, unmyelinated and thus conduct pain info slowly and adapts slowly
-tonic receptor
Substance P
A peptide transmitter that selectively boosts pain signals and remodels pain pathway neurons
Cingulate Cortex
Region of medial cerebral cortex that lies dorsal to the corpus callosum
-integrates pain info
Analgesic drugs
Opiate drugs bind to specific receptors in the brain that decrease pain
TENS
Mild electrical stimulation to nerves around the injury sites to relieve pain
Placebo effect
Relief of a symptom that results from a treatment known to be ineffective